Oh My Alucard II
by Fish and Chipz
Summary: AU. Sequel to Oh My Alucard. She had always believed her life had been rather complicated...and after meeting Alucard, her life got even more complicated. Alucard x OC. Slow update
1. Prologue

Um...Hello everyone, anyone here still read OC fics? I have no idea what I am doing! I don't know how you will react to this new story – maybe you won't like it, maybe you will - I don't know. I'm not exactly sure why I am writing this as I do believe many of you will have moved away from Hellsing and found other fandoms and have also forgotten about my story, not to mention that I'm also a washed-out has-been author. I have these weird ideas and a crappy sense of humour and I enjoy writing grisly, murder and twisted, dark plotlines but I took out some time away from fanfiction as well as abandoning a few stories along the way plus I also forgot my password on adult ff so I haven't finished posting OMA up there yet.

Then I lost inspiration to write for about a year but now I have new inspiration to write this (or at least I feel like picking up where I left off) and felt like going back into writing again. Plus I've FINALLY finished watching all the Hellsing OVA (I saw 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 in order, then watched 9 and 8 then 10 the other day... I am glad I have finished it) and then I've been doing quite a bit of lurking on fanfic despite my profile saying 'retired' but ultimately ideas for the sequel has always been in the back of my mind and I'd always been trying to find ways to get it finally typed up...

..and here it is... **The Sequel to Oh My Alucard**.

I've had a reread of OMA quite recently and it made me cringe at certain areas. Alucard was too OOC, too horny, too pervy, the OC was too Mary Sue, etc etc. I also wrote the word 'back' quite a lot at some point (ie, he smirked BACK at her, she blinked BACK up at him etc...). Because this is the sequel to the OMA, to those who have not read it, I recommend you do because this story will spoil everything for you. I will refrain from ruining everything though to new readers so this first chapter will serve as a teaser/introduction with verrrry little events of the first story (albeit some) being mentioned.

My other Hellsing fic, _I'm So Into You_, I'm actually going to merge whatever I had planned for that story and incorporate into here. Poor Narsha, I've orphaned her but I've decided I want her to be here as well but as a totally different character.

Truthfully, I don't know if this will ruin OMA for you as sequels are always known to be worse than the first, I honestly don't know, and I'm not sure if I will be able to finish this, but as I mentioned before, it has always been in the back of my mind so what the hey. Let's just get it out, ne? And I also want to say thanks to people who continued to read my story even after it was completed and those who PM-ed me. I don't know how active this board is anymore, if anyone is still reading Hellsing fics etc, but here goes nothing.

PS. I cant think of a decent title for now so "Oh My Alucard 2" will have to do (i know its pretty lame). Don't own Hellsing, I hope you enjoy...

* * *

**Pilot**

_"They were before me in actual flesh the same three women that Jonathon saw in the room, when they would have kissed his throat. I knew the swaying round forms, the bright hard eyes, the white teeth, the ruddy colour, the voluptuous lips. They smiled ever at poor dear Madam Mina; and as their laugh came through the silence of the night, they twined their arms and pointed to her, and said in those sweet tingling tones that Jonathon said were of the intolerable sweetness of the water-glasses: 'Come, sister. Come to us. Come! Come...'"_

**- Memorandum by Abraham Van Helsing. **

* * *

"Who is she?"

Thade Nuvos and the young vampire, Garth, were kneeling side-by-side on the ground in front of her, foreheads touching the cold floor. "The mate of Alucard – um, ahem! Y-your _husband _- apparently."

There was a gentle snicker of disapproval; it was a melodious sound, like bells tinkling. Such a seductive noise could not have been caused by a creature such as she. "_Mate?_" sneered the eerily beautiful woman, as she ran her fingers down the unconscious man's nape where two bloodied, punctured holes could be seen near his hairline, "There is no such thing. He has never loved; he cannot love. What is her name?"

"Ruby Ashcroft, m'lady." replied Garth.

"And what did you find out about this...'Ruby Ashcroft'? _Tell me_."

"Yes, m'lady." Thade uttered next; he dared not to meet her gaze as she continued to rake her long hands over and over the face of the man who was sprawled in her lap; she clutched him tight to her bosom, his hair tickling her chin. Her meal. The man remained limp in her hold, his eyes glazed over, mouth agape. Poor thing, it didn't even know where it was or what was even going on thanks to Thade's hypnosis. _At least it is not me_, Thade thought with a gulp, "She is twenty years of age. Alucard – I mean, Master Dracula - sired her roughly two months ago."

Her fist clenched tightly for a fraction of a second, then gradually loosened. She let out a gentle sigh next and continued to stroke the gentleman's cheek. "Ah...it has been that long since my return?" She mused under her breath, a little forlornly.

"Yes, m'lady."

"Bring her to me, servants. I would like to meet her," She said, with a malicious smirk on her face, "My new sister. Dear, sweet sister... darling sister..."

* * *

Ruby woke up and sat upright in bed. She'd woken up with a start from her lucid nightmare only to realise she'd been chewing on a corner of her thick duvet. Her face scrunched up in response and she pulled the wet cotton material out of her mouth and wiped at her wet chin. Repercussions of reading Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' at night, she thought with a frown as the book that she had left by her side dropped from its place on the bed and onto the floor. She'd had a nightmare but found that she could no longer remember what it was about. Ruby let her eyes adjust to the darkness and glanced tiredly around her room before she flopped over her mattress to stare numbly at the ceiling, listening to the alarm clock ticking loudly.

A flicker of déjà vu nagged at the depths of her mind considering the way she'd awoken to have discovered herself munching haplessly on her blanket but she shrugged the sensation away. She recalled the last time she awoke in such a manner was the night she met Alucard...

Speaking about Alucard, she hadn't seen him for several days now. She rubbed at her eyes again upon realisation, smothering at her tired lids with her fingertips. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since he'd departed to work on a case concerning violent, grisly murders of young women, which was most likely a vampire's doing. She remembered that sinister grin plastered on his handsome pale face before he disappeared, gleefully reiterating how fun it would be to finally find the killer and to make him or her squeal like a pig. She bid him farewell and good luck. That was six days ago. She was becoming a little concerned since the longest he'd been away from her was three days. Six days must be some kind of record. She had to admit she was beginning to feel a little lonely and she wondered if they'd caught the killer yet; she graciously reminded herself to phone Hellsing first thing in the morning to check up on the No-Life King just in case. With that in mind, Ruby pulled the covers over herself and snuggled into her comfortable bed but then-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Her eyes snapped open in a split second and she groaned when it dawned to her. Ah yes, she had signed up for the graveyard shift tonight. How could she forget about _that_?

"Five more minutes..." She mumbled to no-one in particular as she slammed her fist over the clock. The silence returned. Before she could drift back into sleep, however, she heard a faint whisper beckoning to her. It was a very frail, hushed voice akin to a lonely echo within a dark tunnel.

"._..Come..._"

And immediately, Ruby sat up, startled. She glanced around her room anxiously, her eyes darting left and right. _What was that?_

Suddenly, something thick, wet and slimy smothered at her exposed feet and she leapt, then threw her glance to the foot of her bed where there was a large and furry creature that was eagerly licking at her toes. "Grey!" She exclaimed, breathing out a sigh of relief at the same time, "How many times do I have to tell you - don't lick my toes. It's gross."

The dog whined as she chastised it and she felt bad as soon as it hung its head low. Admitting defeat, Ruby slid out of bed and the dog trotted towards her side, nudging her slippers towards her with his snout which she promptly stuffed over her feet after drying them with the sleeve of her nightshirt. It was good to have a loyal dog like Grey, she thought, as she stared into his singular amber eye whilst the other was a stitched eyelid covered by an eyepatch ("An eyepatch on a dog! Imagine that!" sniggered Gwen, her friend). Bearing that in mind, she patted the one-eyed dog on the head and rubbed behind his ears affectionately.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered, and the dog merely blinked his single eye at her before tilting its head to the side, "Ah, never mind...I was probably hearing things as usual..." She did a stretch before shuffling out of the room and towards the kitchen; Grey followed her, tail wagging, before he averted attention to his water bowl. Meanwhile, Ruby opened the fridge door and grabbed a chilled blood pack off the shelf. She stabbed her fangs into the flimsy packet and drank.

Hm, what else was new to Ruby's life, aside from the addition of Grey the dog? Oh yes, she was a draculina.

Ruby was a draculina, a creature of the darkness, and she thought she was terrible at being one. She still didn't like drinking blood, and lamented how ironic it was that she was a nurse and being exposed to blood and gore on a daily basis. She had also decided not to stay in Hellsing, not to take up lessons in melee combat or artillery, none of those. She had chosen to remain external and to live in her tiny one bedroom apartment and continue studying towards her nursing degree, much to Alucard's vexation. Although she was sired by the No-Life King many months ago, having been identified as his mate and Fourth Bride, she didn't let that stop her from wanting to achieve what she had wanted to do in her (everlasting) life. Passing her nursing degree was at least one achievement that needed to be reached. Alucard had wanted her to stay in Hellsing and live in his basement with him. He had wanted her to stay so he could teach her, like the way he taught Police Girl, but Ruby had refused and so she remained as lowly as a vampire could be in the hierarchy...not that she really minded.

Since she met Alucard, she'd been dragged in an abundance of colourful affairs that landed her in trouble and as Alucard himself adequately worded once, 'mortal peril'. It been difficult initially; they faced disapproval from the Convention of Twelve... and not to mention that Iscariot had put Ruby on top of their 'Most Wanted' list at one point too. After she met Alucard that fateful night and graveyard shift, her life had gone a wholly different direction than she had originally intended. Still, Ruby tried to keep on track and now she was a second year trainee nurse. The fact that she'd passed her first year was simply astounding considering the vast amounts of distractions that had occurred.

As soon as she'd drained the entire bloodpack, Ruby got dressed, filled up Grey's bowl with more water and left her apartment. She also left a squeaky, chewy bone toy and a fresh chunk of raw meat in Grey's food bowl, and then made her way to the hospital. She was not worried about Grey making a mess in her absence because he was a rather intelligent dog, having been labelled a 'prototype werewolf' although no transformations had occurred yet whilst he was in her care and intense Hellsing scrutiny. Several full moons had passed but the dog exhibited no odd behaviour that would make them suspect that he was more than a four legged, grey-furred canine and Ruby believed he was earnestly the least of their worries. And once she arrived at the hospital, she stuffed her arms into the cardigan sleeves of her nurse's uniform and shuffled into the reception to see Narsha at the desk, chatting animatedly into the phone that was pressed against her ear.

"Hey, Nars." She greeted casually, as soon as the girl hung up and replaced the phone into the handset.

"Hey, Ruby," Narsha said, "Are you okay? You look a little pale."

Since her turning, Ruby's complexion had become pale twenty four seven; however, since Narsha was a relatively new friend of Ruby's and a trainee nurse a year below her, she probably would not have known the difference. Or it may have well been the sterile hospital light that made her appear more ashen than usual. "I didn't get enough sleep." She replied half-heartedly with a shrug.

"Yeah, me too." The younger girl yawned loudly, her mouth visibly stretching large and wide; Ruby watched before stifling a giggle.

"What's that you got there anyway?" She asked, gesturing to the notepad.

"Oh, I was checking up on stock levels."

"Are we missing a lot of stuff?"

Narsha nodded in response. "Do you mind covering reception for me while I go down to the storehouse?"

Ruby contemplated briefly, then said, "You should stay here, I'll go."

Remembering what had happened the last time a lone nurse had been sent out of hospital grounds in the middle of the night to retrieve supplies, she figured it was best if she went instead of Narsha. The list was handed to her and Ruby scanned the list of items, then set off with the list in hand. Just like the previous hospital she'd worked at, the storehouse was located within the basement level of this hospital, near the carpark. As usual, it was only accessible by staff with a special keycard. Ruby left the hospital grounds and into the cold night with an empty, three-tiered gurney for transporting the supplies, staring at the dark sky as she listened to the wheels rumble over the pebbled ground. As she crossed the car park to get to the storehouse, she stared up at the night sky, gazing contently at the full moon above.

"Better get this over with." She murmured, until a hand had grabbed her shoulder from behind, halting her in mid-step.

"_Don't move_."

It was a man's voice she did not recognise. It was typical something like this would happen. How could it not? A girl was on her lonesome in an empty car park at 2am in the morning…The last time something like this had happened, Alucard almost shot her and she uncovered the existence of vampires. What would happen this time? She turned round to see a pale-looking, weary man standing before her who was now glancing at her from head to toe. In one hand, he carried a small revolver. Ruby hadn't the faintest idea where this man had come from and she also hadn't the foggiest whether his intentions were malevolent or benevolent, or how he had managed to sneak up on her like that in the first place considering how she should have been able to sense him approaching. Upon closer inspection of the man, she realised he was rather sweaty, his face dull and pallid. It registered in her mind immediately that he was a vampire. A _hungry _vampire.

"You're coming with me." And it seemed he had no idea who she was or what she was, either. He was most likely a young vampire in this case who obviously had thirst-control problems. The man grabbed her by the arm and tried to drag her away from the trolley she'd brought with her, but nothing happened; Ruby did not move from her spot. His face contorted into confusion and impatience as she blinked blankly at him, her feet rooted firmly on the ground. "What the hell-?"

"Look," Ruby began with a sigh as he tried to tug and heave, just to get her to budge an inch off the ground. It appeared his strength was no match for her, "I get it. You're hungry, but you can't just go and attack women in the middle of the night-"

The man's expression darkened into one of anger next. "Shut up!" He snarled at her, and once again, he tried to drag her with him to the side. When Ruby still did not move despite his iron grip on her arm, he aimed the gun at her and cocked it in front of her face, the nozzle pointing at her forehead. "Fine, you move."

But Ruby was unfazed by the threat of the gun. "It's not too late to turn back and-"

"I said shut up, you stupid-_GAAAHHH_!" The man let out a pained cry and dropped to the floor, the gun clattering out of his hand - he had been shot from behind – and the vampire lay twitching for a few moments, his last moments outlined with the sight of Ruby re-opening her eyes to stare down at him with a sympathetic expression scribbled on her face whilst his assailant - a peculiar, tall man dressed in red with raven black hair that curled to his shoulders - stepped into view and the nozzle of a silver gun was aiming in between his eyes.

"Alucard, wait-" Ruby said, but she was too late; Alucard had pulled the trigger despite her protest and she turned away as soon as he emptied a round into the vampire's forehead; the vampire eroded away into a mass of blood over the tarmac, his harrowing scream echoing around all four corners of the lonely parking space. She glanced up and into the orange-tinted lens of his glasses that hid the soulless red eyes of the No-Life King who was standing before her.

"It is surprising that you still have a horrible tendency to attract trouble, my bride." He murmured with a slanted grin as Ruby gazed a little helplessly at the puddle.

"Alucard, you didn't have to _kill_ him."

His thin lips curled into a devilish grin that almost reached to his ears, "You should know very well by now that I will show no mercy to those who foolishly dare to harm you." He replied as he placed the Casull safely into his coat, slipping the gun into his pocket before taking her hand in his, guiding Ruby to sidestep around the puddle towards him.

"I remember something like this happened before. It's like déjà vu..." She muttered under her breath as he wrapped his arm around her, bringing her closer to him.

"Are you alright?" He murmured, and she nodded.

"I'm fine, just glad you're here," She said, as he tightened his grip around her waist, "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were working on the case."

"I came to check up on you; I am to escort you to Hellsing. Something..._ terrible_ has occurred and my Master demands everyone's presence. A meeting is to take into effect in approximately ten minutes."

Something terrible? She wondered what it may be. "Like what?"

"There's been another murder."

Ruby's eyes widened then. In response to her stunned silence, Alucard smirked and she smacked him on his shoulder. It was meant to be a rather gentle gesture but since she was a draculina, it had been a rather strong blow to the arm even though she wasn't even aware of it. "What are you grinning about?" She snapped at him, "That's awful! Stop it."

This only caused his smirk to widen followed by a chuckle of mirth. "Shall we?" He said, gesturing to the exit of the parking lot.

"I can't just leave work like this..." Ruby mumbled, but when Alucard brought her closer to him and their lips touched, she instantly melted into his embrace and allowed him to kiss her, his lips pressing gently but hungrily over hers again and again. His large hands went to her face, stroking the outline of her cheek longingly, and when he pulled away, Ruby was staring dazedly at his lips, and he grinned as she croaked out, "Actually, I think Gwen can cover for me."

…..

Meanwhile, the dog woke up in its basket with a start. Its ears rose as it glanced around the dark apartment, then it let out a low whine, knowing all too well that his owner was not back yet. He was always lonely whenever she would leave him in the house on his own despite all the toys and meat she would leave behind for him, and he would always make it his duty to guard the house from intruders. His ears had picked up a strange noise but when he tried to listen for it again, the only sounds in the house came from the clock ticking on the wall. He lowered his head over his paws and closed his eye in a bid to return to sleep.

But then, he heard it again-no, he _felt_ it again-and Grey scrambled out of the basket, alarmed. He trotted out of the bedroom and towards the lounge, sniffing at the floorboards. His nose led him to the front door and he stopped scouring. He could see light emitting from the hallway through the tiny crack at the bottom of the door and he could see a shadow lingering outside but he knew it was not his owner because he didn't recognise the scent at all. Seconds later, the doorknob began to shake, jerking fiercely.

Immediately, Grey began barking. He dashed around the room and pounced at the door, growling and snarling as loudly as he could. The doorknob was rattling very violently now, the door trembling in its frame; Grey continued barking and howling and then-

"Damn dog! Shut the hell up! Don't make me come over!" came an angry, but muffled bellow from the apartment beside theirs. Following the muffled shouting were several loud thumps on the lounge wall where the TV was affixed, and Grey only served to bark louder. "That's it! I'm going to call bloody pest control!"

Having successfully sounded off the alarm, the doorknob suddenly went still.

However, Grey did not stop barking not even when the shadow began to slink away, leaving the door. Footsteps could be heard retreating down the hall. Whatever it was that had been standing in the hallway outside Ruby's door, Grey was determined not to let it come in…

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Yay! Hurray! So there goes the first chapter...er...more like teaser…I am sorry that nothing much happened; I couldn't really get much to happen or write much in case I ruin everything for new readers with this teaser.

I wrote this first chapter so it is like a reflection of the events that happened in the first chapter of OMA with a few notable differences of course. I have also decided that Ruby is NOT pregnant because I don't want to write about it. Instead I will concentrate on characters that were introduced at the end of OMA who had very little screen time such as Grey, Luther and so on. Aside from that, I also want to ask everyone if you liked it and if there is anything you would like to see in the new story?


	2. Monsters Among Us

Hey everyone, THANK YOU for the lovely reviews -hugs- thank you **blackcat711, Nitrogen920, didem, Almathia, shippolove844, Leftalone**, **Le excited guest,** **starrat**, **vampireXgirl13X, Silvers Ashe, Darkangel Guard, Dontgotaclue88, animeninja48** and** eve. **I read all your reviews with a big smile on my face lol.

Thank you so much for adding my story onto your faves and alerts. As you may all know, the reason I write is for all of you so it makes me very happy to have received positive feedback. I hope this chapter makes everyone happy too. Thank you for showing interest in my story and writing. Many apologies however, to those who were looking forward in seeing a preggy Ruby because she is not. I thought long and hard and decided not to write a father!Alucard. I am really happy to have seen some familiar reviewers reading this fic though but many apologies that I have not been able to reply to everyone.

This story is still T-rated at the moment but there are things here that are quite typical/cliche for a Hellsing story and might make the rating go up. I'm also hoping everyone has read OMA by now so I will begin writing about the events of OMA and what-happened-next.

* * *

_Monsters Among Us_

_It has been two months since the fall of Oracle and the disbandment of the Knights of the Black Flame. I have stayed in Hellsing since and have been assisting the infirmary and morgue, tending to the wounded or sickly and conducting embalmment's on behalf of the deceased whenever appropriate. Although Caelum, the leader of the Knights, had been a major threat to our operations, we had believed his demise would have caused at least a diminishing impact on vampiric activity. It seems this is not the case. Vampire-related incidents have continued to be on the rise and I am seeing more and more bloodshed as the days pass. I fear evil shall always lurk as long as vampires walk on this earth. _

_On the other hand, with regards to Alucard's mate and Fourth Bride, Ruby Ashcroft (for she has chosen to remain as such), I have issued an apology with concerns to misdiagnosis. It appears I had incorrectly and erroneously inspected her during one brief check-up whence Miss Ashcroft had complained of stomach cramps, and I had mistakenly informed her she was pregnant._

-**_ Dr Jack Seward's Journal._**

...

Ruby left the infirmary that day, utterly devastated.

She would never be able to have children.

_Cheer up, it's not that bad_, she had thought to herself, _Technically, I'm dead_ _anyway. Everything about me is dead._ _Of course I can't have children. In that case, I might end up like Caelum then, kidnapping babies and treating them as my own son or daughter and watching them grow up until they look fifty years older than me. Oh what joy._

It was the misdiagnosis that upsetted her. Dr Seward was a nice and polite gentleman, but to have made an assumption and then getting her hopes up, before telling her (and apologising to her) that he'd made a mistake...had really made her feel as though she'd lost yet another thing as well as her surrogate and real parents (as if those losses weren't enough; she was still in mourning). She trailed out of the infirmary and saw Alucard waiting patiently for her, seated upon a chair with his legs crossed and hands clasped, musing to himself in a clandestine manner, yet when Ruby approached he rose to stand upon her arrival.

"It's nothing," She said, trying to muster a thin smile, "The doctor said they were stomach cramps. They'll go away soon."

"I am concerned," stated the No-Life King, "I will have a word with Seward."

She placed her hand on his arm and shook her head thoroughly, "I'm fine, Alucard."

A slender raven eyebrow rose, but he did not question any further. Instead, he entwined Ruby's arm with his and together, they left the infirmary. "Shall we return to the basement?"

"Sure..." She mumbled.

He noticed how despondent she was but knew that should he question her, she would be evasive and refuse to answer him properly. Another time, perhaps. The two made their way to the basement they shared and Alucard manoeuvred the mirror out of its frame for her, exposing the entrance to the lair, which would also serve to house the draculina. He let her enter first then slipped inside after her. Once they'd arrived, Ruby stared at the long stretch of basement before her. No matter how many times she looked at it, she would tilt her head to the side and stare at the large, empty and dank expanse with a lopsided pout. Whilst Alucard would stride past her to claim his lonely throne, Ruby would always glance around, deep in thought.

"What is troubling you, my bride?" He asked, as he watched her waddle over to a cardboard box that had been dumped in a corner and pick out a multi-coloured feather duster. The cardboard box stuck out like a sore thumb in the basement, contrasting heavily with his archaic throne and the table. She'd packed various modern things in it including a small handheld vacuum cleaner and her music player.

She began dusting at one of the walls, smothering away cobwebs and whacking at spiders with the feathery stick. "I swear to god, this place gets dustier and dustier no matter how much I clean."

"Ruby, cease this behaviour and join me." He said; the next thing he knew she might start hoovering, and after a few seconds of menial dusting, she finally put away the wretched stick into the box where it rightfully belonged and plodded over to him, stopping by one of the armrests. Since there were no other places to sit, he had her sit in his lap. She sunk into his embrace for she had always been a fraction smaller than him and had always felt insignificant and tiny compared to him and he smirked as he moved her accordingly so she was straddling him, before lifting her arms and getting her to plant her hands on both shoulders. "What did Dr Seward say to you?"

"Nothing." She replied, before she glanced around and up and down the basement then settled her gaze on him again, "You look tired." She commented.

"Oh?"

She nodded as she gently placed her hands on both sides of his face, brushing away hair from his eyes before she made little circles over his hollow cheeks with her thumbs; she didn't want to tell him but she'd seen a few lines under his eyes, although she didn't think he'd be capable of aging. "Is it because of the fight with Caelum? Are you still recovering?"

"Not at all..." came his husky reply.

After a few more moments of silence following that, she let out a sigh. "...I don't think I can stay here, Alucard. I don't belong here. I don't belong in Hellsing. I don't belong with all the soldiers, the weapons, the expensive furniture, tapestries and suits of armours and all those other fancy things upstairs...I'm just not used to seeing it and being in an environment like this one."

"You will become accustomed in due time." He replied, taking her hand in his and rubbing his thumb over the back of her palm. Besides, wasn't his master's mansion what humans called a _luxury_?

She sighed gently yet again. "Alucard..." She began, smoothing down the shoulders of his duster for him, "I'm not like you. You've always been a...well, you were a Prince, a ruler of kingdoms and legions of many, many men...you had land and you commanded all these mighty troops and...Well, you're used to these things because it's you. It's what you've always known, you know: Fighting. War. Killing. I'm not saying that's not a good thing, but it's what you're used to. And you're good at it. You're so good at...uh...killing and destroying things." She said, cringing slightly at her own words as she moved away from his shoulders to focus on his cravat, running her hand up and down the flimsy ribbon ends, "But it's not what I'm used to or good at, so..."

Alucard shifted in his seat, leaning backwards to rest comfortably in his chair. "Ruby, I will not be able to protect you should you decide to leave. There are plenty of those who wish to harm you. What use will it be if my Queen is not by my side?"

She pursed her lips tightly in response, pouting, and he wanted to kiss those plump pink lips of hers, "I'll be okay, Alucard. I can take care of myself. You know that."

"As my bride wishes," He found himself unable to resist; she wasn't even trying hard to convince him at all; he realised he was beginning to spoil her and if this kept up she might start thinking she could get away with anything. Thus, he added, "I shall grant you permission to take up lodging in that pitiful excuse you call 'accommodation'. However, should anything occur then I will come to retrieve you and you will have no say whatsoever."

"Fair enough," She replied, and she manoeuvred herself so she was now sitting in his lap with her back to his chest; Alucard's arms slinked around her waist respectively with her new seating arrangement, "So, what now? Is there anything else to do here? Drink wine? Daydream? Sleep?"

Her answer came when Alucard suddenly began to kiss the side of her neck sensually and she shuddered inwardly. One hand had left her waist, his long fingers crawling up one side of her throat to tilt her head backwards so she could enjoy the feel of his lips claiming her skin. She closed her eyes as he swept her hair over one shoulder and tugged at the collar of her shirt to expose more of her neck for his eyes, and when he hungrily licked at her nape, she knew what to expect: without much warning, his fangs had sunk into her skin, the sharp tips settling deeply into her flesh. She gasped, eyebrows furrowing tightly as blood began to trickle forth from the wound, threatening to stain her clothes but Alucard was quick to lap at the spilled blood with his slick tongue.

He'd bitten her before but the ecstasy that would accompany the intimate act had her panting as she lay helpless in his grasp. Her hand found its way into his hair, weaving into his dark tresses, her breaths becoming shallow as she stroked the sharp outline of his jaw. It was as though she was goading him to drink more from her and lustful moans were beginning to emit from the back of her throat which only served to spurn him on; she threw her head back to rest on his shoulder although as Alucard drank from her, her mind fogged all over, a haze claiming her and she stared up at the dark ceiling, her eyes were also no longer their normal blue shade but a deep, fathomless red hue whilst her lips threatened to curl into a smirk. However, just before the darkness could completely take over, she blinked and immediately wrenched herself free from his grip and slid out of the chair, dropping to the cold ground.

She meekly gathered herself up, clutching at her bleeding neck. "Um, what just happened?"

"You are now a creature of the darkness, my bride, but you are succumbing quicker than I had anticipated. You should embrace the pleasure it brings to you." Alucard said as he gestured with his hands, his lips stained with her blood.

Her cheeks went bright red and when he reached for her, she wasn't quite sure she wanted to sit in his lap again. "Will I be able to control it?"

"It will take time." He murmured, and his smirk vanished after he realised how distressed she appeared, "Ruby, there is no need to be afraid. I will teach you. Come here. Come to me."

She meekly returned to the chair where he pulled her into his lap once more, his arms wrapping around her waist. She remained limp in his hold as he licked the blood away, kissing the wound he'd inflicted on her which was beginning to heal, ready for his taking once again whenever he desired it. This wasn't the first time he'd drawn blood from her yet Ruby dazedly slumped against him, exhausted and weary. She fell asleep with Alucard's lips ghosting over her neck passionately, as though hungering to take another bite.

...

**Present**

"Well, Seward, how does it look?"

"The victim is a man this time."

"Yes, I can see that."

The doctor stood up and moved away from the corpse just as the forensic photographer came and began snapping away at the dead body on the ground. Seward rejoined Integra's side and pulled off his gloves and mask, and both glanced around the crime scene. "There are two distinct puncture wounds on his neck but they were manmade," explained Seward, "He's been drained entirely of blood, straight from the jugular. But I can tell for certain that it's not the murderer we're looking for. The one we're looking for has a penchant for killing young women in the middle of the night and dumping their bodies in the Brampton Woods."

"Now we have two murderers on the loose." Integra replied and Seward nodded before he handed her a clear Ziploc bag that contained a wallet-sized card covered in blood which had been found on the body. "What's this?" She asked as she scrutinised the card within the bag. It was shocking red in colour and in the top left corner was the dark silhouette of a woman sitting in a provocative pose, obviously designed to stir excitement between the male loins. Along with the image was a phone number and other details. On the card, in exotic curly handwriting, were the words '_Cirque Le Soir_'. "A call card?"

"Escort club." said Seward, before Integra turned to him in acute surprise. He instantly realised his own words and coughed into his fist in slight embarrassment. "I-It says so right there..."

As he gestured to the fine print, Integra merely raised a slender eyebrow. "I see, our victim must be a regular patron."

"Indeed." Seward said flatly, "I recall that some of our victims from the other murder case were also employed at this club."

"Good work, Dr Seward," Integra said, "Let's return to the manor for the meeting."

...

In Integra's office in Hellsing manor, Ruby waited anxiously beside Alucard. His hand was brushing the side of her leg gently before it crept closer towards her inner thigh. She shoved his hand away, cheeks reddening. His hand crawled back and she shot him a warning glare. A smirk was playing on his lips and she wondered what he may be thinking about, but she remembered that whenever she asked him he would not necessarily provide her with an answer she had really wanted to hear (nor was she really wanting to find out what he was _really _thinking about). Beside her was Seras, who seemed equally as nervous as Ruby was as she sat in her seat. The Police Girl was fidgeting somewhat and Ruby was still battling with Alucard's wandering hand until the door opened and all heads turned to face the direction of the sound; Integra stormed in with Walter behind her. Almost at once, Alucard retreated his hand away.

"Good evening, Alucard, Seras, Miss Ashcroft." Integra made her way to her mahogany desk and sat down on the leather swivel chair opposite the trio whilst Walter took his spot in the corner, standing tall with his hands held behind his back, "Dr Seward will be joining us shortly; Luther is also on his way here."

Ruby glanced around; if Integra had asked Luther to come, whatever was happening must be rather serious business...

"I'll make it brief. There are two murder cases. Case one: six young women have been found murdered. Case two: a young man has been killed. Both cases are intricately tied by this vital clue." Integra said, before she took out the 'Cirque Le Soir' card and placed it on the surface of the table.

At first, no-one went to pick up but then Ruby nervously reached a hand out and plucked the flimsy card and lifted it up. "It's a club." She said aloud, eyeing the text and the raunchy picture in the corner, "...An escort club."

Whilst this only served for Alucard to widen his smirk, Seras was blinking numbly. So this was what Alucard was working on for the past six days. For some reason, Ruby wasn't surprised at all.

"And the reason I've invited you to this meeting, Miss Ashcroft, is because-" Integra paused in mid-sentence and glanced up; a foreboding shadow had suddenly appeared in a corner of the room and a white-haired man dressed entirely in black emerged from the dark, swirling portal. The newcomer wore a mask strapped over his nose and mouth, obscuring most of his features aside from his startling pale pink eyes. Once his boots made contact with the tiled floor, he said not a word but gave them all nods of acknowledgement. "Impeccable timing, Mr Lestat, please have a seat." Integra added, gesturing to the spare chair beside Seras; Luther nodded again and sat down beside the Police Girl, who greeted him with a smile. He said nothing and crossed his arms.

Seconds later, the door to the office swung open and a blue-eyed, brown-haired man adorned in a white labcoat entered the room. He was carrying papers in his hand and with an exhausted murmur of "Excuse me," he shuffled to the empty chair beside Alucard and seated himself down, wiping at his brow with a matching white handkerchief before flashing a thin, albeit tired smile to the crowd. "As you were saying, Integra..."

"Good of you to finally join us, Seward." Integra said in response to his arrival.

Although it had only been two months, a lot seemed to have changed. When Ruby was first introduced to the organisation, she had believed it was...sparse. Alucard was the most powerful in their ranks with Seras being their newest addition. However, to Ruby she had always been fraught with the feeling that they were always _outnumbered, _or at least, alone, in their battle against vampires and other evil that plagued the earth. Now, she was rather glad to see that Hellsing had new tenants, namely Jack Seward and the telepathic vampire, Luther. Dr Seward, descendant of John Seward, was in charge of the mansion's infirmary and mortuary , taking care of injured or deceased soldiers and carrying out other duties that would require his medical and forensic expertise and knowledge. The doctor indisputably held and carried out a variety of roles in Hellsing, in which one was to substitute for the hunter Frankie Morris who'd returned to America. When he entered the room, however, Ruby had believed he was very overworked since she'd seen many doctors who had worked ninety hour shifts, prowling around the wards of her hospital with that same lethargic manner.

On the other hand, Luther was one whose past was still shrouded in mystery. No-one was sure where he had come from or how he came to be what he was today; they were only aware that he had been experimented on by Oracle resulting in his disfigured mouth, condemning the vampire to mutism for eternity (and also limiting his blood-sucking abilities), and they were aware that his background was also rather questionable since he'd once assisted the enemy. However, the elusive vampire had proposed unofficial servitude to Hellsing and Integra had accepted the vampire amongst their ranks and Luther had become another pair of eyes and ears for the organisation; no doubt, an invaluable asset.

"Very good, everyone is present. Let us formally begin," Integra said, disrupting Ruby in her thoughts as she glanced at Luther from the corner of her eye, "The reason I've invited Miss Ashcroft to the meeting today is because the victims of Case one have been discovered in Brampton Woods."

Ruby averted her gaze to Integra. "Brampton Woods?"

"Yes. I am aware that Brampton Woods is not far from your apartment at all, Miss Ashcroft. Seward, may I please see your report?" Integra asked, and Seward handed her the bundle of papers he'd taken with him. She thanked him and scanned the first page briefly, then began to read the contents aloud. "Very good. Our first case is the Brampton Woods Killer. Firstly, about tonight's victims...Victim one: female, twenty five years old. Victim two: female, sixteen to eighteen years old. The bodies were discovered by a jogger who was taking a shortcut through the woods at roughly twelve am; time of death is listed at potentially five or six hours earlier due to rigor mortis. The victims had been killed roughly the same time although both bodies were found a distance apart. Investigation at the crime scene indicated there'd been signs of a struggle, however no murder weapon was found in the vicinity."

As Integra continued, she had copies of a photo containing the dead body that said 'Victim one' passed around the table. Victim one appeared to be a scantily clad female although her features were beyond identification (as Integra had said so) due to the horrific wounds on her body. 'Victim Two's' crime scene photo had Ruby and Seras wincing the most whilst Seward and Luther merely stared indifferently as though they were used in being witnesses to such violent carnage...and as usual, Alucard was smirking visibly as he studied the glossy picture which he was sharing with Ruby. The photo of victim two was monochrome but the macabre picture was enough to make both draculinas want to gag. They could tell it was a high school girl judging from the pleated skirt and blazer. Aside from that, the face was barely recognisable, but from what they could make out amongst the black and white print, the pulpy globe of flesh that should have been the girl's head had been completely twisted painfully to the right and there were deep gashes slashed across the side of her head and neck; in fact, the gashes had been caused by such power and force that her face had been dragged downwards, sagging.

Integra leaned forwards in her seat with her hands clasped together inches in front of her chin, "Now, what is strange is that one of our victims do not fit in with our murderer's modus operandi."

"It's a high school student." Seras croaked out.

"Yes, that's right."

Since Ruby had no knowledge about the murder case, she decided to remain quiet for the time being. However, she inwardly sighed. Being involved in Hellsing meant she was occasionally subjected to learning about brutal murders every now and then. It was disheartening.

"As we all know, the Brampton Woods Killer enjoys murdering young women who are employed within the sex industry. Now, as Seras has pointed out, one of the victims is a high school student." Integra added, "It's thrown all our theories and investigations off-track. Street workers have always been easy prey for vampires due to the unsociable working hours and the overall underhandedness of the industry. However, we can still determine that this is the work of the same killer since the cause of death is identical, in which the victim has been clearly mutilated beyond recognition..."

Integra had been kind, using the word 'street workers' when speaking with regards to the occupation of the victims. Ruby withheld swallowing down the growing lump in her throat; one did not even have to think twice to realise prostitutes would be easy prey for vampires considering their line of work.

"She was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time." Seward said, as he handed his photo back to Integra.

"Yes, that is what I believe too, but the question is why." Integra muttered next, gathering Ruby out of her thoughts, "Furthermore, victim two was a student at _Parkhill Grammar School_. Seras, I'd like you to investigate and find out what you can."

"Yes, sir." Seras said, glancing away from the photograph. If she hadn't properly scrutinised the coat of arms that was stitched on the blazer's pocket which the victim was found in, she wouldn't have known how Integra knew which high school the victim attended. "Um...will master be coming with me?"

"No." Integra had replied in response to Seras' question.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Alucard is not permitted to enter schools, Victoria, or any establishment containing children or vulnerable people. For example, orphanages or nunneries."

Immediately, Ruby turned to Alucard in mild shock, "Really? I'm sure you went to the hospital I worked in." She said, but then she remembered that Alucard hadn't exactly entered the children's ward or the elderly ward, and she quickly added, "How come you're not allowed near nunneries?"

A grin had now made its way to her face as she pictured Alucard wreaking havoc and causing chaos and engaging in combat with enemies whilst ladies in black and white garb scurried around helplessly and she tried not to laugh. Integra cleared her throat loudly and everyone turned to her; Ruby immediately dampened her expression and muttered her apologies, understanding all too well that making light of the situation or even attempting to crack a joke would not be tolerable at this time. With Ruby's silence, Integra added, "Luther, I'd like you to patrol the exterior of the woods every night. Clearly our murderer favours the woodlands when it comes to his heinous crimes."

Luther said nothing, but nodded.

"What about me?" Ruby asked, "What can I do, sir?"

"Miss Ashcroft, since you live close to Brampton Woods, I would like you to keep an eye and should you witness any strange activity, you must report to Hellsing immediately."

"Yes, sir." Ruby said, and finally, Integra turned to Alucard to address him.

"I await your orders, my master."

Integra's lips curled into a thin smile, "Search and destroy, my servant. That is all."

"And what about the other murder case?" Alucard crooned, "...If I recall, you said there were two..."

"That's correct." Integra said, and she retrieved the club card out of Ruby's hand, "This card was found on the victim of Case two. You'll find the rest of the details from Seward's report. The victims of our Brampton Woods Killer are escort girls who worked at that club. It's up to you to connect the dots, Alucard."

Cirque Le Soir? Escort club? Prostitutes? Ruby immediately stiffened all over in her seat and one hand clamped down on Alucard's knee. He threw his glance down to her hand, then to Ruby herself. "My bride, what seems to be the matter?" He said, a grin stretching on his face.

It was not that she didn't trust Alucard, but the more she thought about it, the more she did not entirely enjoy or agree to the notion of Alucard heading into an escort club to investigate. "I'm coming with you," She said hurriedly, before she glanced at Integra, "Permission to accompany Alucard, sir."

Integra watched the two in steely silence; at first, her gaze lingered on Alucard then she concentrated on Ruby, before she ultimately took a deep drag from her cigar and shook her head. "I understand your concern, Miss Ashcroft, and I know you mean well... but I fear you will only hinder the investigation."

Ruby's jaw fell open slightly whilst Alucard let out an amused chuckle under his breath. "B-But I..." She spluttered, although she knew deep inside there was simply no use in attempting to sway Integra's decision as the Director would definitely not change her mind just to agree in Ruby's favour.

"Perhaps you should not have chosen to remain external to Hellsing after all, my bride." Alucard said, and Ruby threw him a cold glare. His words stung, like a kick in the teeth.

Now she truly felt like an outsider. Maybe Alucard was right; maybe she shouldn't have opted to live outside of Hellsing, to have no relation whatsoever. With that thought in mind, Ruby sat silently in her seat as the rest of the meeting went by.

* * *

**Notes:**

There goes the second chapter! This sequel is happening, folks :) Once again, thanks for reviewing. It is an honour that you find my story interesting and worthy to be added to your faves and alerts -bows-


	3. Ruby in Need

Yo yo yo what up everyone? It's almost Christmas, yay! I really shouldn't be updating though, because I haven't had ANY time for this fic. It's been crazy times and I still haven't finished christmas shopping, but thank you RIP Lynn, Natalie, animeninja1418, Bilbo Baggins is my Hobbit, Rab Shadow, hiyomi, Dontgotaclue88, Nitrogen920 and AvaleeDarling for reviewing! Enjoy this chapter ~~

* * *

_Ruby in Need_

"Idiot! What the hell were you thinking?!"

The young vampire had frowned furiously in response and stood his ground against the ugly vampire before him, "She said she wanted us to bring Ruby Ashcroft to her!"

Compared to Garth, Thade was a very ugly, traditional vampire with a mindset that dated back in the eighteen hundreds. He had let Garth the 'Handsome One' take care of all the errands, finding them food and shelter, dealing with humans whenever necessary. Garth looked charming but he was, unfortunately, a bit on the dim-witted side and appeared to prefer a life of servitude. Thade was more than happy with this arrangement; he had been away from civilisation for so long and found that he had no desire to integrate into today's society, unwilling and uninterested to keep up with the standards of human life and modern values.

"That doesn't mean you go marching up to her house and force your way in!" Thade growled, before he slammed his clenched fist over Garth's head once again, making the young vampire wince. "You were lucky she wasn't in! Even if you managed to get inside, what then? Do you think you are any match for her? She's not an ordinary vampire, you know. She's the mate _and_bride of Alucard! She might be a newly created vampire but she's a hell lot stronger than you! If she opens her mouth and squawks, what do you think will happen then?! You think you can take on the No-Life King?"

Pondering for a while, Garth slowly shook his head.

"Yeah, I thought so too." growled his companion, "So next time, remember to use that goddamned brain of yours! This is what_Oracle_ has to offer? These are the kind of vampires Caelum had working for him?! No wonder that moron is dead!"

"Hey!" Garth snapped, "Don't talk about Mr Caelum like that!"

"I'll say whatever I want to say about that failure!" Thade roared, jabbing furiously at his chest with his index finger, before he raised his knuckles in an attempt to strike Garth in the side of the head; however, the younger vampire dodged this time and Thade ended up hitting the wall beside him, making bricks fly out. "Caelum was the oldest, strongest vampire I knew...Even he was no match for Alucard. If Caelum couldn't defeat the No-Life King, what are we supposed to do? What hope do we have?"

"Well...we have _her_ now, don't we?" Garth muttered meekly.

Oh yes. Her. _The First Bride_. However, Thade merely let out a snort of derision under his breath. "So what? Dracula was her master. She reveres him yet she is repulsed by him at the same time. She was rebellious, but not to the point that she wanted him destroyed."

Two months had indeed passed since the destruction of Oracle and the death of Caelum, but as Thade had pointed out, Caelum had been no match for Alucard. All in all, Caelum had perhaps been a thorn in the side and nothing revolutionary to have been able to set himself apart from the other vampires Alucard had faced before. He had still clung onto his ability to transform into an ancient form. So what? In the end, Caelum was nothing but rumours and a name to be passed around in campfire stories for years to come.

_I need to think of something else. That 'Ruby Ashcroft' is an insult to all vampire-kind. I refuse to acknowledge that whore as the Queen. _With that thought in mind, Thade's fist curled as he contemplated his predicament, his raggedy, foul nails digging into the flesh of his palm. What now? What to do?

"Um, Mr Thade, what is she anyway?" Garth asked, and Thade glanced up.

"What do you mean? She is the First Bride of Dracula."

"No, I don't mean it that way. I mean...right now, _what is she_?"

The question still didn't make much sense but Thade scratched at the bottom of his scruffy chin and grunted, "She is neither dead nor alive. She's just_ here_. That's all you need to know."

Clearly confused by the cryptic response, Garth decided to pursue the subject matter. "Why do you want to defeat Alucard so badly anyway?" He muttered next, as the wound on his head began to heal. He wiped off his blood using the sleeve of his shirt, clearly uninterested in blood spilled that was his own. "As long as we live quietly and without attracting the attention of Hellsing, isn't that enough?"

"You idiot!" Again, Garth's well-meant words only served to further incur the wrath of the ugly vampire. "Alucard is not fit to be our King! Neither is that whore of his fit to be our Queen! We need one on our side and not the humans."

"I see, as long as Alucard is alive, then we cannot live in peace, or at least, we will never be able to control the humans." Garth replied, "...What about you, Mr Thade? Why don't you try and take over?"

"Naw, no, Garthy," Thade replied, as he moved his hand to rub at the bottom of his nose, "I'm no' like that. I work in the shadows. I like to stay behind the scenes, doing this, doing that. I prefer it that way, don't you?" He replied. Following that interesting revelation, Garth nodded. Fumbling in his pockets for a cigarette, Thade grabbed a lighter and lit the end, taking a deep drag. Then he muttered, "By the way, she'll be hungry tonight."

"What! But what about that—"

"She finished him off."

"Already?" Garth exclaimed in shock, before he let out a scoff of disbelief, "Alright, fine...fine...I'll speak to Devilla."

...

"That is so stupid...a nightclub...yeah, out of all the places, it just _has _to be a nightclub...with prostitutes and-and... Why am I not surprised? Nope, not surprised at all...Hmph."

Ruby arrived at her apartment from the meeting at Hellsing, mumbling and grumbling to herself only to see a note sticking out of her letterslot which she pulled out and quickly let her eyes skim over the messy handwriting. "Miss Rubby, I've called Animal Services. They will be stopping by tomorrow to issue a warning." She read aloud. The note was signed by her neighbour Mr Munroe. Ever since Alucard, as a dog, had almost mauled the man one unforgettable moment in Ruby's life, he'd been less than friendly to Ruby, believing that she had sic'ed her big black dog on him.

She rolled her eyes when she'd seen the way he'd spelt her name.

_Rubby._

But no, that was not only it...Animal services would be coming tomorrow, too...just to issue a warning. Couldn't they just send a letter or something?

"Gee, thanks a lot neighbour." She grunted as she scrunched up the note and tucked it into her pocket; she took out her keys, the keyrings jangling loudly against one another and she unlocked her door only for Grey the dog to come bounding towards her and before she knew it, he was trying to jump and down as she walked in, taking off her shoes. She turned to close the door; he was pouncing on her back and she tried to get him to calm down. Grey would usually do this whenever she came home, but it appeared the dog missed her more this particular night as he continued his somewhat frantic attempts to pounce on her and she laughed as the dog rose on its hind legs to stand up and put its frontal paws on her shoulder, licking affectionately at her chin and cheeks.

She put her hands on each side of his snout, staring into his single eye. "Yes, yes, I missed you too. Did you miss me? Were you a good dog when I was gone? You didn't poop or pee on my sofa again, did you? You're not going to make me buy another new sofa, are you?" She cooed, and the dog let out an excited bark, tail wagging feverishly. "Hah, I'm kidding. Kidding." She chortled, before she added, "Sit."

It took a while, but Grey finally returned to the ground and lowered himself onto his haunches, staring up at her with his head cocked to the side. She'd been trying to train Grey since she'd adopted him but the dog didn't seem to exactly like being told what to do. _Don't get me wrong here_, Ruby thought, Grey was a good dog, but...he just didn't really take much of a shine when it came to being commanded. When she tried to enlist the help of an experienced dog trainer, he ended up chasing the dog trainer and growling incessantly that the dog trainer flatly refused to take her business after several unsuccessful consecutive lessons.

"Good dog." She gushed with a grin, as she squatted down in front of him. "Okay, now give me your paw."

Once again, it took a while until Grey raised his right paw off the ground and Ruby took it, shaking it. The dog looked terribly confused as she let go. Her grin widened, before she threw a glance around her house, noticing everything seemed in order and clean, and she rubbed behind his ears affectionately, "Good dog. Good doggie. You're a good doggie, aren't you? You're such a good doggie...you're my good doggie-woggie-oggie."

As Grey began licking at her palm affectionately, she thought about Alucard and the time he'd turned himself into a dog. Surely he'd also assumed other forms then, too. As he said once, the form he often chose to take had no meaning; she was often haunted by the thought of seeing him taking the form of a woman every now and then. The best thing about Grey was that she didn't have to worry about Grey being able to turn human or anything and understanding every word she was saying. No, most definitely _not_. Grey was 100% dog. The other best thing was that she didn't have to worry about Grey being unfaithful or going into bars and looking at other women, either. With that in mind, she cheerfully made her way into the kitchen, humming jovially under her breath. She took one glance at his bowl to see that he'd finished his meat and she opened the fridge, grabbing another slab of meat which had Grey sniffing curiously as he trotted to her side.

"Hm, you're not hungry again, are you?" She said. The dog merely stared at her, then did a dog-sneeze and padded away from the kitchen. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

Ruby shrugged inwardly and returned the meat to the shelf. It had been a long day. She left the kitchen and saw Grey in the lounge, staring outside the window at the full moon for a brief moment. He did another dog-sneeze, shook himself then plodded towards her room. Ruby made her way to the coffee table, checked her phone where the little red light was flicking on and off, indicating she'd received a message.

Ruby moved to the sofa and plopped down, pressing on the machine which emitted a loud 'beep', and then: "Hi Ruby, it's Gwen here. Just to let you know I'm at the hospital and working YOUR graveyard shift. But hey, you know what? It's fine, 'cos you're swapping with me and taking Friday instead so I can go partying with Narsha; we're going to hit that new bar in town!" cheered Gwen's voice, "By the way, don't forget, we're all going out for dinner tomorrow if I can drag myself out of bed, okay? And this time you better bring Alucard with you! I want to hear all the juicy little details of you and-"

The message ended abruptly as Ruby had pressed the button to delete the message; it was not that she didn't want to hear the rest of Gwen's message but the girl had always been rather nosy with regards to Ruby's...love life. She'd been very interested in Alucard, that was for certain. Perhaps too interested. She certainly wasn't going to bring Alucard with her for tomorrow's lunch date, either. With a yawn, Ruby grabbed the TV remote control and switched it on whilst lowering the volume once the screen buzzed into life. There was nothing really interesting to watch at this hour, except from online night casinos, poker and roulette gambling shows, and repeats of old shows with a woman in the corner translating using sign language. She flung the remote control to the side and sprawled over the sofa, listening to the clock tick loudly on the wall. To her surprise, her bedroom door squeaked open and Grey came trotting out, stopped by her side as she lay on the couch, and looked at her.

"What is it?" She asked, and the dog bit at her sleeve and began to drag her off the sofa. "Alright, I'm coming...I'm coming..."

...

**Meanwhile. Integra's Office.**

"She's changed, Alucard."

It was only Integra and Alucard left in the office. The meeting had been adjourned a few hours ago and dawn was approaching; Ruby would've arrived at home by now. Walter had left to retire for the rest of the night, Seward retreated to his quarters in the infirmary to sleep, Police Girl waddled out of the meeting room and sauntered to her room and Luther had simply vanished from the premises without anyone even noticing.

"From the day she discovered her true identity, the day she discovered that her true parents were dead, a part of her has died too." Integra said, her gaze was fixated on the vampire standing before her and she took a long drag from the cigar, blowing acrid smoke into the atmosphere. "You may have sired her but unlike Seras, her heart is very fragile and she still regards herself as a civilian and has refused to assist Hellsing where it matters the most. Our line of specialty, after all, does not suit Ruby Ashcroft's persona. She is not a soldier. She has never been, and she never will."

"My brides were never soldiers, my master. Ruby shall be what she chooses to be."

"Yes, I am aware, my servant," Integra muttered, remembering the last time they'd had this conversation was right after the fall of Oracle, "...but there is a darkness that has settled deep within her which she has yet to realize. You may continue to teach her, but bear in mind she is not a fledgling. She is a Bride. And it has been one hundred years since my ancestor came across a draculina titled as such. Even for you, Alucard, old habits die hard."

"I will take full responsibility for my bride, my master," crooned the vampire, grinning wickedly as the wide brim of his hat covered his eyes. Often she wondered what Alucard may be thinking of these days but she hadn't really doubted him before. "You need not worry."

Finally, Integra cracked a smile, the cigar still wedged between her lips. "Teach her well, Alucard. Miss Ashcroft has potential. Ensure you steer her onto the right path should she ever get lost."

...

_"…That's Ruby? That's the __real_ Ruby? But…why is she…dead?"

_"What did you do? What did you do to your daughter and the Van der Linde's? Did you kill them? Did Caelum kill them? Tell me the truth, NOW!"_

_"…He killed your real parents and then he took you! He took you…He knew who you were; he knew you were Alucard's mate. Caelum gave you to us. You were so cute. It was as if our little darling Ruby had returned to us. I needed you…"_

_"Wake up! I'm NOT Ruby. I'm not your Ruby…It…it's not fair to your daughter. Your real daughter." _

Ruby awoke, eyes snapping open; the clashing voices overlapping each other in her mind had stilled. A chill had also run down her spine for she had felt a rather foreboding presence in her room. Amidst the darkness were tall shadowy figures standing respectively on her left and right of her bed. Another lone dark shadow stood at the foot of her bed. Immediately, she yelped and scrambled up, duvet flying. The figures vanished as soon as she rubbed at her eyes and she blinked inquisitively. They were gone, just like that. Ruby glanced shakily around her room, spotting Grey fast asleep in his basket. He hadn't woken up, since he hadn't sensed anything amiss. Had she been seeing things?

"Alucard?" She squeaked out, as she gathered the covers and clutched them tightly to herself.

Seconds later, a familiar vampire drifted into her room from the far wall where her closet was, and she was relieved to see him. "Alucard!" She rolled out of the bed and promptly dashed over, stopping shortly in front of him. Although she was dressed in her onesie pyjamas (Gwen's birthday present to her who had cited that onesies were the latest fashion rage) that would usually make her cringe if anyone caught her in it, she had completely forgotten that she was dressed in the darned thing, "I'm so glad you're here. Um...you're not busy right now, are you? You've not been to the club yet, have you?"

"No." The vampire replied in a hushed murmur, his scarlet eyes glowed softly as they settled on her form. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and scratched at the back of her head, glancing off to the side despondently. "You were crying." He pointed out.

She immediately wiped away the blood tears that were streaming down her face and glanced down, embarrassed. "It's nothing."

"You were having nightmares again," Alucard remarked, "About your parents."

He really knew how to _hit _that spot and she was flushing, "...I...I...er..." She croaked out, but she realised that she didn't have any excuses or anything to add to his statement, either.

"You never had nightmares when we shared a bed together."

Now he had her cringing. "Yeah, because you're so powerful and so almighty that you even keep my nightmares at bay, Alucard." came her deadpan reply, "The reason I called you is because I saw...Hold on, let me show you..." She muttered, before she grabbed his sleeve and led him to the side of her bed, "Okay, right here—I saw this shadowy figure standing around my bed, right there, where you are. And there was another one here—" She left him where he was, sauntered to the opposite side of the bed and gestured as appropriate, "Then one was over there at the foot of my bed, and...and well, they're gone now, but I got scared."

Alucard raised an eyebrow, then closed his eyes and chuckled deeply, much to her embarrassment when she realised how lame she had sounded. "I do not sense anything. There is nothing here except from yourself and I, my bride...and that wretched pet of yours." Alucard replied, gesturing to Grey, who could be heard whining slightly in his basket.

"He's just a dog."

He chuckled even louder, "That damned creature..." He murmured, his voice was as velveteen as ever, dripping with a bitter sweetness to it, "You disobeyed me and have allowed it to live under the same roof as you."

Placing her hands on her hips, she gave him a sour look as she stood opposite him across the bed. "I'm not going to have this conversation with you again; Grey is, and has been, a very good dog." She protested, but then she shook her head as she did not wish to rouse an argument with the vampire she would be sharing an eternity with. "Look, are you staying here or what?"

There was a silence following her words.

Alucard was watching her keenly now and Ruby shot him a worried look. "...What? What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

His lips widened into a smirk. "You wish for me to stay, my bride?"

Her face reddened slightly and she embarrassedly turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. "W-Well, only if you're allowed. If Sir Integra allowed you to, I mean, with all the murders and stuff going on, I—_eep!_" Ruby was cut off when Alucard had suddenly appeared by her side, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her up against him; her eyes widened slightly when her body went lean against his and she came face to face with the vampire, who was now grinning extensively. "Alucard, let go."

"Why are you resisting, my bride? You asked for my company, therefore my company you shall get."

She flushed brilliantly, her lip wobbling slightly when he began to brush some loose strands of hair from her face, "Oh...Er..." She croaked out. It was bizarre that Alucard still had this kind of effect on her even though they'd been through quite a lot together; everything he did still managed to make her blush.

"My master has been very generous," He purred, before he scooped her off the ground and into his arms bridal style, carrying her over to her bed. Ruby clung on as he bundled her up in his arms; Alucard had carried her countless of times but every time he'd done so it was another thing that had her blushing, "She has permitted me to stay with you-"

"One night a week, I know."

"I do believe I have not been by your side for six days."

_So Alucard has been keeping track too_. Ruby's blush worsened as he seated himself on the edge of the bed with her propped up in his arms. "Yeah, six days. Six days without you, Alucard," She said, before she shifted in his lap, adjusting herself so she was sitting to face him, "It was kinda weird not seeing you around..."

"Is that true?" His deep voice breathed out as he gave her an affectionate squeeze, bringing her closer to him that their noses were almost touching.

"Yeah," She replied, her gaze moved around his handsome face, eyes straying from his eyes to his lips where her gaze lingered. He was doing the exact same thing to her, "...So, about this case... you're really going to go to that dodgy club?" Even her voice had lowered to a gradual whisper to match his, "When? Tomorrow night?"

He leaned forwards, their lips now millimetres apart, "Yes."

She glanced down then, pouting slightly. "I wish I could come with you." She mumbled, "Can I-"

"No."

"Aw."

His reply had been instantaneous, "It will be dangerous."

She turned away, pouting. "Hey, Alucard?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

She thought about the club, all the prostitutes he would see and the seedy patrons of the club and pondered to herself, then said, "Will you ever get bored and tired of me? Will you...will you ever want someone else? Another Bride?"

Again, Alucard chuckled lightly and she could feel his chest rumbling from their close proximity; he took her face in his hand and made her look at him, "I do not require another Bride," Their faces were so close she could almost feel his lips moving against hers, and when he finally pressed his lips against hers firmly only to quickly pull away with a smirk, he murmured silkily, "Not when I have my mate."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if I don't update, I want to wish everyone Merry Christmas, Seasons greetings and happy early 2014! :)


	4. Cirque Le Soir

Hey everyone, how are you? I hope you guys had a great Christmas and New Year! Thanks for the reviews! I am extremely sorry for the lack of update but I do hope you thoroughly enjoy this chapter. For now I actually have zilch time for this fic due to other stuff happenin' in my life which does make me sad so unfortunately I've had to put 'slow update' on the summary.

PS. This story has now jumped to an M because of this chapter.

* * *

_Cirque Le Soir_

"Alucard should be going to the club today..." Ruby murmured to herself as she held up the shower head, waiting; it was facing the bath, sprinkling a spray of hot water into the tiny tub. She was making a quick bath for Grey since she'd seen him scratching and gnawing at himself quite a lot as though irritated.

Earlier on in the day and Animal Pest Control came knocking by her door. They gave her a written warning. Anymore disturbances and the neighbours had the right to file in a petition and get her kicked out of her home or at least, fined for the disruption of public peace. Ruby had felt slightly miserable then as she watched Grey who was completely oblivious. In fact, Grey had been acting strange today. Aside from scratching and gnawing at himself, he ignored his toys, his food and water. He slept for long periods of time throughout the day and only woke up for minutes, then he would drift off into sleep again. She tried to move him, and when she did, he rolled over limply and she saw that he'd lost quite a lot of fur as she stared at the little grey hairs on his basket and blanket. He didn't bark or growl, either; he was silent, which worried Ruby an awful lot. She thought he might be ill and called a vet. She booked an appointment for the next morning since they were all booked up for today, which she wasn't entirely pleased about.

_I'm worried_, Ruby had thought, _He was perfectly fine yesterday._

Once the tub was full to an appropriate amount for the dog, she switched the shower off, then left the bathroom, drying her hands on a towel. "Grey?" She called, seeing that the dog was nowhere to be seen in the lounge. "Grey, it's time for your bath."

Normally Grey didn't like baths and would run away and try to hide somewhere so she went to her bedroom to see it empty; she sighed, realising he was probably hiding under the bed as usual. Ruby went onto her knees and tilted her head to the side, finding the dog (as predicted), under her bed.

"Grey, there you are." She said as she tried to reach for him. However, she immediately sensed that there was something wrong. Grey was trembling, his amber eye appeared dilated and as her outstretched arm neared and neared him, he suddenly growled and violently snapped his jaws at her. Immediately, Ruby pulled her arm back with a gasp. "Grey!" She exclaimed, but the dog merely continued to bark at her, still growling. "Grey, what's wrong?"

Nothing was helping, and she only stopped in her efforts when she heard the phone outside in the lounge, ringing loudly. Ruby glanced away from Grey, sighing. She rose to stand and patted dust away from her trousers at the knees, then left the room. She didn't know what was wrong with Grey; he'd never been like this before.

Entering the lounge, Ruby picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Ruby!" exclaimed a cheerful voice. It was Gwen. "Did you get my message?"

"What message?"

She heard an exasperated sigh on the other end. Gwen said, "I'm going to be twenty minutes late," before she quickly explained her reason; meanwhile, Ruby continued to throw worried glances to her bedroom. The dog didn't come out at all and she really had no idea what was wrong with Grey. "Okay then, see you!" Gwen exclaimed, before hanging up.

Ruby glanced at the door to the bathroom. Grey's bath would have to wait. Maybe he just needed to be left alone...

...

On the other side of town, Alucard arrived at the Cirque Le Soir Escort Club, which was situated in the city suburbs.

Alucard had the card in hand. The card told him everything; the address, website, email, the phone number, a mobile number, a fax number. He went in the evening but despite the early hour, he saw a long line of men standing outside, waiting to be allowed in. The two bouncers were stout men who had more fat than muscle, dressed in expensive black suits and shirts and ties, with sunglasses and earpieces. Once Alucard strode up to one of the bouncers, the man glanced up and down the tall vampire before throwing a quick look to his companion. Despite his fearsome looking appearance and build, they were no match for Alucard's hypnotising prowess and the bouncers allowed Alucard to pass, eliciting angry jeers from the rest of the humans who were still waiting to be let in.

He ignored them and entered the establishment, and once he arrived at the door, two hostesses pulled away the red velvet curtains for him, revealing the finely decorated establishment within. He was alone tonight. Police Girl had been busy all day conducting her own investigation with regards to the murdered high school girl and didn't join Alucard on his nightly excursion this time round, not that she wanted to anyway. She had requested to sit this one out, not that he particularly required her presence here either. His master had also warned him not to stir up a scene or cause any casualties.

The club was swarming with life and full to the brim with customers, the majority of them being men of varying ages. They were also all humans. Although his master had called it an escort club, it seemed to be a mixture of some sort. Exotic music played in the background whilst the men wined and dined in tables and booths under dimmed lighting with escorts perched on their laps. There was a long stretch corridor containing an array of closed doors that led to his right, no doubt for customers seeking privacy. The club's colour scheme appeared to be red and gold and motif resembled a Victorian mansion, with elaborately sculpted furnishing, portraits, tapestries and chesterfield seating. In the middle of the club's main floor was a stage where girls adorned in nothing but corsets or other pieces of erotic lingerie and kinky costumes that barely covered their bodies were spinning around poles and climbing into bizarre poses or moving their bodies to the music in their own rehearsed routine. Meanwhile the adoring male crowd were busy stuffing wads of money into whatever clothing article that allowed the notes to cling on while the girls danced. A scantily-clad girl rushed past Alucard with a man chasing after her, chortling with glee.

It was quite a lot to take in and if it could not get any more colourful, a half-naked waitress carrying a tray of wine glasses in one hand strolled past Alucard. As she passed, their eyes met and she smirked at him with her deep red, pouty lips, strutting towards a random table in her stilettos, her hips swaying side to side in a seductive manner. He settled his gaze on her even as she passed but otherwise did not follow her.

"Hi," crooned a rather sickeningly sweet voice, and from the corner of his right eye there was another half-naked waitress beside him, hands on hips, purposely thrusting her chest into his view. "Can I help you, sir?"

He responded with a grin. "Perhaps..." He purred, and there was an impish glint in her eye as she shifted her weight onto one stilettoed foot. The waft of her perfume was hard hitting, and along with the powdery, flowery scent, he could also smell her arousal.

She stepped forwards, breasts pushing against his chest and then one of her hands was playing with his hair, "You'll need to go the bar to ask for a..._personal _service. My name's Angelique, by the way, and I'll be in room six tonight."

As usual, he didn't encourage or indulge in the girl's playful and sexually aggressive behaviour, and as she stalked away, winking at him from over her shoulder, he moved to the bar where the bartenders were and as he approached, they took one look at him and then glanced at each other with their eyebrows raised. Of course, Alucard had been ordered to don a disguise. Therefore, he was in his human disguise with his hair straightened and curling past his shoulders. He kept his glasses, but instead of his red duster, he wore his double-breasted waistcoat and slacks with the jacket hanging off his broad shoulders. Police Girl once said he looked very regal and rich whenever he wore this disguise, and his mate had once commented that he looked too extraordinary and uncommon to be a 'J H Brenner'.

Although his human disguise was to blend in with the crowd, his disguise radiated the impression that he was perhaps the only wealthy patron here. "What would you like, sir?" asked one bartender; he was a young man, with blonde hair and blue eyes. A human. His namebadge said 'Chris'. In response, Alucard requested for the house drink and in a minute, he was presented with a tiny shotglass with a golden liquid inside and a single ice cube. "There you go, sir, _Poison_."

He lifted the adequately named 'Poison' and downed it in one gulp which had the bartender staring with widened eyes. This 'Poison' must be their most powerful drink, it seemed, and most likely was to be enjoyed slowly.

"I haven't seen you before," said the bartender named Chris. "Is this your first time here?"

"No." Alucard replied with a leer as he swirled the lone ice cube inside the shotglass in his hand delicately, "Arianna," He added, remembering the name Integra had provided him with. Arianna was the name of one of the dead prostitutes. "Where is Arianna?"

"Oh...uh..." Chris' face scrunched up in response to his enquiry. "...She's er...I'm sorry, sir, but she doesn't work here anymore."

"Arianna doesn't work here anymore?" Alucard pressed on, "When was this? Why does she not work here anymore?"

"Well, er...she...she's been promoted. She...got promoted to another one of our clubs. Halfway across town," came the man's bumbling reply. "I'm terribly sorry, sir." It was strange Chris was not allowed to speak about the deaths of their employees but perhaps it was so customers would not be deterred from the establishment should they find out that many of their girls had been _brutally murdered_. It would not be good for business at all. "Perhaps I can help you choose an escort for tonight?" Chris suggested, hoping to turn the situation around; he took a moment to think then said, "May I recommend Crystal? She's very popular. Then there's Angelique. Oh yeah, she's pretty hot too. You can also ask for Bianca."

"No, I want to see Arianna, or Tania or Macy."

Playing the part of an affluent benefactor wasn't difficult at all, and seeing the human's dwindling response was downright _hilarious_. Chris began to sweat slightly and his eyes began shifting to and fro. "Please excuse me, sir." He hurriedly left the bar and disappeared behind the 'Staff Only' door, opening it a fraction to reveal a dirty corridor filled from top to bottom with supplies and cardboard boxes. Alucard waited patiently, and finally, Chris re-emerged from the door and stepped out of the bar area, dusting at his apron with his palms. "Sir, can you follow me, please?"

He beckoned for Alucard to follow him. They left the club's dance floor, passing more half-naked waitresses who gave Alucard seductive, flirtatious looks. Whilst they also acknowledged Chris, he paid no attention to the girls, and finally, the young bartender had led him to a door away from the maddening music and crowds that was decorated with a gold plaque on the finely textured mahogany surface. He opened the door to reveal a finely decorated, narrow corridor. Chris gestured for him to enter; Alucard stepped in without further ado and the bartender closed the door behind them. The corridor was silent. All noise was blotted out. The long corridor itself was painted a rich, rich red with matching wine red curtains complete with gold tassels. Even the carpet was a fine plum red. Chris strolled down the corridor without further ado with Alucard and arrived at the only door, then knocked politely.

A garish voice from inside said, "_Come in_."

The bartender opened the door for Alucard and let the vampire inside, "Lady Devilla will see you now."

...

"...Alucard should be in the club by now..." Ruby muttered to herself absent-mindedly as she caught sight of the clock on the wall whilst neatly slicing at her slab of grilled chicken with her knife. She could not eat it, but since it was a night-out with friends, she had to stomach it and force herself to guzzle it down...even though she knew that precisely ten minutes later she would have to excuse herself and throw up everything she'd just ate in the toilets. She recalled the many times such a thing happened and she left a public bathroom stall only to come face to face with women waiting in the line giving her a look as it was most likely they'd heard her retching.

"What was that, Rubes?"

She flinched at the nickname, slowly glancing up at Gwen and Narsha who were sitting opposite her. They were at _TGIs_, their favourite Friday restaurant and whilst the place was crammed to the brim with people of all ages who were enjoying cocktails and good food and the happy atmosphere courtesy of the music, lavish interior and friendly staff. However, Ruby was far from cheery despite the ambiance. "Nothing..." She croaked out.

"No, no, noooo," Gwen drawled, shaking her head, "You said something. Something about a club and Alucard. Is he going to a club without you?"

She stiffened in her seat immediately. "Erm..."

"Speaking about Alucard, I thought you said he was meant to come and meet us properly at some point. He can't be THAT busy with 'Hellsing' stuff, can he?" Gwen scoffed as she bit into her crust-covered shrimp, chewing noisily with her hind teeth whilst Narsha tentatively chewed on her burger.

"Huh, you'll be surprised, Gwen." Ruby replied, thinking about the Brampton Woods Killer.

"What's he like again?" asked Narsha. "I'm kinda curious as to what he does. I mean, I've never heard of 'Hellsing' before."

"Well, Nars, he...er...he..." As Ruby struggled to reply, Gwen sighed and turned to Narsha.

"Apparently he's some kind of private detective for this super secret organisation." She replied for Ruby, and Narsha's eyes went wide.

"A detective!" exclaimed the younger girl, which only served to make Ruby cringe. Turning to the draculina, she gushed, "Well, it's no wonder he hasn't got time! He must be so busy with cases and stuff...That's so interesting. So, what is he working on now? Has he told you?"

"No, he hasn't told me anything." Ruby said; she couldn't tell the girls anything about Hellsing matters. They were strictly confidential.

"Yeah, but lookie here, he's so busy with work he hardly has time for our poor Ruby. Instead of being with her man, she's with us, at TGIs, eating chicken. Doesn't that tell you something? And I've told Ruby this before too, but I think he's way too old for her." Turning to Ruby, Gwen added, "Yeah, I think he's definitely too old for you, Ruby. It's not too late to look somewhere else, you're not stuck with Alucard for the rest of your life, you know. Plenty of fish in the ocean, Rubes."

Ruby could only glance helplessly at her friend in response. _Actually_, she thought. _I'm supposed to be with Alucard for the rest of eternity..._

Gwen was nudging at Narsha, as she watched Ruby's absent-minded expression. "Ohhh, can you see that? You saw that, right? She's got that look on her face again. Hey, you know what? After we finish, let's go to the club."

Ruby glanced at Gwen, gasping in horror. "What?!" She exclaimed, "I can't do that!"

"Why not? It's no biggie, we're supposed to be going to a club after we eat, it's okay if we go to the same club your boyfie happens to be at, right?" Gwen said with a grin, "How about it, Nars?"

"Well-"

Without waiting for Narsha to finish, Gwen turned to Ruby and added quickly, "So where is this club anyway?" She asked, whilst Narsha sighed inwardly, "What's it called? It's not far, is it? Is it in town?"

"...It's Cirque Le Soir."

In response, Gwen's eyes widened tenfold and then it was her turn to let out a horrified gasp; Ruby nervously bit down on her lip and threw her glance to her lap. "That's a stripclub." Gwen said, jabbing the fork at her direction, "A _stripclub_."

"Yeah, I know."

"Alucard's going to a stripclub and you're _fine_ with it?"

"Yeah." Ruby said, shrugging, "...It's work-related. It's strictly business...and I trust him."

"Okay, so you trust him to not look at all those big-boobied bimbos, who will have no clothes on, swirling around and around poles whilst letting men ogle at them and puffing their chests in their faces and you trust Alucard enough when they're all bending over him and-"

Ruby was turned off immediately and put down her knife and fork, "Gwen, please, could you...for once, just once...could you NOT be-"

"I'm serious!"

"I'm serious too. Alucard will be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you really sure?"

"Yes!"

"Are you really, really sure-"

"Okay, fine! I'll go have a look! But just for a minute, okay? We'll go after we finish our meal and have a look, just to check up on him or something, see if he's okay." Ruby exclaimed angrily, throwing her arms in the air, "Are you happy now?"

"Yes," Gwen said, with a grin, "Yes, I am."

...

Before him were red lacy curtains obscuring his path which he had to pull at one by one, and when he finally arrived, the atmosphere became very humid and sticky and he could smell a distinct aroma of spices and blood. Once he pulled away the final curtain, he saw a large pool before him filled with steaming hot water. An impossibly beautiful woman was bathing, holding a wine glass in hand. She had a heart-shaped but long face, and her narrow, amethyst eyes were framed with long, dark eyelashes. Her lips were painted a deep crimson and her long, her long blood-red hair was tied up in a messy bun, stray strands running down her neck. On one side of the pool were servants holding trays containing a variety of items. One servant was busy sprinkling rose petals over the water.

"Well, well, well..." drawled the woman, smiling devilishly at Alucard. She drained the wine glass and held it up; a servant came running over and plucked it off her dainty wet hand before returning to her spot. Turning to Alucard, she settled her gaze on his form and said with a wicked eyebrow raised suggestively, "If it isn't the No-Life King."

A vampire.  
Finally, the first vampire he'd seen in this dismal joint.

"Lady Devilla," She introduced herself with a sultry murmur whilst the servants beside her remained quiet with their heads low, "Pleased to make your acquaintance. Perhaps you'd like to join me." She continued to murmur huskily, beckoning him with a hook motion of her finger.

He chuckled, removed his glasses and slid them into his pocket. "My dear," He began, "Perhaps you would like to join _me_?"

A small frown wormed its way on her face as Alucard gestured to the small table and set of chairs near him. "Very well." came her half-hearted reply, before she got up to stand. She was naked, water dripping off her voluptuous, hourglass-like body. Alucard watched as he sat comfortably in his seat; she sidled to the line of servants who had now brandished a black silk robe, draping it over her. She had a thorny red rose tattooed on her right shoulder. There was a symbol of some sort inked on her lower back. He reminded himself that Ruby had no tattoo of any of the sort on her body and he preferred one's body that way. She tied the robe herself before she slinked over to him with the precision of a professional model on a catwalk, before she slid herself down onto the chair opposite, one hand fluffing at her messy pinned hair. "...To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She leaned backwards, deliberately crossed her long, smooth legs, a section of the robe sliding downwards following the motion. It couldn't get any obvious than that. If Ruby was here, he wondered what her reaction would be. No doubt, it might be a hilarious one.

"Your establishment has become of interest to me." replied Alucard as he clasped his hands together, grinning.

"I didn't think you would be the kind to take interest in my girls...not when you have finally claimed a _Queen_ for yourself...My girls certainly don't hold a candle to her. Not even my most beautiful, most cunning and charming of girls will win over your undead heart." Lady Devilla murmured as she loosened her bun, and her long silky scarlet hair tumbled over one shoulder. She shifted in her seat, leaning casually to the right to rest her elbow on the armrest whilst supporting her chin under her palm. Again, following that motion, the robe fell partially off her bare shoulder, exposing creamy white skin. "Tell me...what is the little darling like?"

He wasn't interested in entertaining her with anything that had to do with Ruby. "My visit is purely business. It has come to my attention that a series of murders have occurred and your employees have been the victims." said Alucard, "I have been asked to...perceive the situation a little better, that is all."

"Yes..." She muttered, her mauve eyes narrowing into slits, "It has been unfortunate, but I did not realise Hellsing would be interested in my affairs."

"Your employees are of interest; they are humans, therefore we are concerned." He muttered, "Yes, you have offered shelter to humans. You appear to _care _for them. I am intrigued."

Without looking at him, she uttered, "I pity them, but these girls have given up on life and cannot, and do not, dare to dream of what else the world has to offer them. I picked them up from the streets when they were abused, miserable and helpless. They are still working in the same line of work, if not, within a better environment." He didn't have to ask to know what she was thinking as she had added, "But I am _not_ the one you seek."

"I am aware," said Alucard, his eyes trailing up and down her body, "What business would you have left if you have no workers?"

"Indeed," Devilla replied, "I have been in this line of business for a long time, if I recall, since the year of eighteen hundred. What will you do, No-Life King? What will you report to your master? Does it matter if you have discovered that a vampire is the proprietor, and not a human?"

"I am the least interested in your _business_. The murderer, however, is who we are looking for, and the sooner we find the perpetrator, the better...then you may resume your work, tending to this house of sin for as long as you please."

"Do I have your word?"

"My dear, you have nothing."

"Then perhaps I do not need your help. If I assist you, what do _I _have to gain?"

"If you assist me, what do you have to gain, indeed?"

Her lips suddenly dipped into a tight-lipped frown as she contemplated his words. At the moment, she knew she really had nothing to lose, and neither did he. They both wanted this murderer caught. He knew that all too well, however she felt_ offended _to have been spoken to by a man in such a manner. How he even found his Queen was beyond her comprehension. How this Queen of his even tolerated such a man made her truly wonder. Behind the handsome face was a rather insufferable, arrogant and downright obnoxious man. She had heard so many rumours about the No-Life King, this vampire before her certainly didn't fit the image... Lookswise, maybe, but within the personality zone, the scales were tipping in favour to 'sadist'.

However, before she could reply, a servant came running over, interrupting their conversation. "My lady!"

"What is it?" snapped the enraged Devilla.

"...Th-There's been a disruption on the bar floor."

She frowned immediately following the servant's revelation. Turning to Alucard, she said, "Excuse me... I'm afraid I'm going to have to postpone this conversation..."


End file.
